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SPH Medical 34 inch SPU Air Transfer Mattress with SPH-039VS Air Supply improves nursing and patient safety
CategoriesPatient Handling

The Importance of Air Transfer Mats in Labor and Delivery Units

by sphmedicaladmin

In the demanding environment of labor and delivery units, the safety and well-being of healthcare professionals are paramount. One of the most effective interventions to enhance staff safety is the implementation of air transfer mats. These specialized devices facilitate safer patient transfers, thereby reducing the physical strain on nurses and leading to better patient care outcomes.

The Case for Air Transfer Mats

Research has shown that back injuries are among the most common occupational hazards in nursing, particularly in high-pressure areas such as labor and delivery. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), healthcare workers experience injury rates that are significantly higher than those in other industries, with a substantial number resulting from lifting and transferring patients (OSHA, 2021). By integrating air transfer mats into routine practice, hospitals can dramatically reduce the biomechanical stress on nurses during patient handling.

Cost Savings from Reducing Back Injuries, Strains, and Sprains

Implementing air transfer mats can yield significant cost savings for healthcare facilities through the reduction of back injuries, strains, and sprains among nursing staff. These common workplace injuries not only lead to substantial medical expenses but also result in lost work hours, increased turnover, and the cost of temporary staffing. By incorporating air transfer technology, hospitals can minimize the risk associated with manual patient handling, thereby protecting their workforce and ultimately reducing workers’ compensation cards improving patient care and facility resources. This proactive approach not only enhances employee well-being but also translates into financial savings that can be redirected tow

Benefits for Staff Safety

Air transfer mats promote safer handling practices by using a cushion of air to assist in moving patients, thereby minimizing the physical workload on nurses. A study published in the Journal of Healthcare Engineering found that the use of such equipment reduced back strain among nursing staff by up to 60% during patient transfers (Hignett et al., 2018). This reduction in strain not only mitigates the risk of injury but also enhances job satisfaction and retention rates among nursing staff, cultivating a more stable healthcare workforce.

The SPH Medical Air Transfer Mat is simple to use and improves safety

Enhancing Patient Care Outcomes

When nurses are afforded the support they need to perform their duties safely, the positive ripple effects on patient care are evident. With diminished risk of injury, nurses can devote more attention to meeting their patients’ needs instead of focusing on pain management or recovery from injuries. Furthermore, research in the American Journal of Nursing illustrates that improved staff safety correlates with better patient outcomes, including lower rates of adverse events and higher patient satisfaction scores (American Nurses Association, 2020).

Advocating for Safer Working Environments

Given the compelling evidence supporting the use of air transfer mats, it is essential for nurses to take an active role in advocating for the resources and equipment that can safeguard their welfare. Education around potential risks and the importance of proper handling techniques is invaluable. Nurses should engage in discussions with hospital administrators about the necessity of these mats and other safety measures.

The SPH Medical Air Transfer System improves staff and patient safety

Cost Savings with SPH Medical’s SPU Air Transfer Mattress

Switching to SPH Medical’s SPU Air Transfer Mattress has demonstrated remarkable cost-saving potential for hospitals, with some facilities reporting savings in excess of $200,000 a year. These cost savings are attributed to a significant reduction in back injuries, strains, and sprains among nursing staff due to the use of this innovative transfer technology. The effectiveness of the SPU Air Transfer Mattress has been proven through numerous studies and real-world applications, making it a reliable and cost-effective solution for healthcare facilities looking to enhance their patient handling processes while also reducing costs associated with workplace injuries.

Investing in air transfer mats is not merely a financial decision; it is a commitment to the health of employees and an enhancement of the care provided to patients. By prioritizing staff safety through the adoption of air transfer mats, hospitals position themselves as leaders in the healthcare sector, fostering environments where both nurses and patients thrive. Therefore, let us champion the implementation of such critical innovations in labor and delivery units to fortify our healthcare system’s foundation.

Ease of use and safety are the hallmarks of the SPH Medical Air Transfer Mat

CategoriesPatient Handling

Preventing Nursing injuries in Labor and Delivery during COVID-19

by sphmedicaladmin

Preventing Nursing Injuries in Labor and Delivery During COVID-19

SPH Medical works with healthcare facilities to implement safe patient handling solutions to protect our frontline caregivers and help with preventing nursing injuries. SPH Medical does this by evaluating current patient handling tasks and processes and helping hospitals modify high risk tasks to improve staff and patient safety. A variety of proven assistive solutions and supplies can help mobilize or transfer patients safely while protecting both patients and caregivers from injury and infections. A key focus in Labor and Delivery units is to reduce workplace injuries by reducing manual patient handling during lateral transfer and epidural placement. These are two high risk tasks that occur predictably every day.

Equipment and Supplies

Within hospitals, staff continue to care for patients affected by Covid-19, along with dangerous c. diff, MRSA and COVID-19 concerns. The typical laundry system in hospitals is generally not capable of quickly or effectively sanitizing specialized or hospital-owned equipment. Hospitals therefore often outsource their laundry to external laundry providers. Unfortunately these external laundry systems often loos expensive hospital-owned goods like transfer devices. The infection prevention team within the hospital often recommends that single-use equipment be used when possible to move patients. Single use disposable supplies, such as gloves, gowns, and masks, are also required to help minimize infection transmission between patients. In today’s COVID environment all healthcare employees should be wearing an appropriate N95 Mask like SPH Medical’s Makrite 9500-N95. This N95 Mask is an FDA approved Surgical mask which is ideal for nurses and doctors.

Labor and Delivery

Expectant mothers want to be able to give birth in a safe and infection-free environment. The infection prevention nurse in every hospital is working hard to make sure that the Labor and Delivery unit is safe for mothers and their babies. Even in today’s environment, 31% of expecting mothers continue to receive c-section procedures.

In preparation for a C-section procedure, labor and delivery staff must administer an epidural to the patient’s lower back. The patient is typically asked to sit at the side of the bed in a flexed cat position or forward fold position. This position allows the anesthesiologist to access the intervertebral space with the epidural injection accurately. Unfortunately the nurse is often required to hold or support the nervous mother in this position. If the patient moves suddenly or falls forward the nurse may be injured. Positioning Device solves this by providing support to the patient and reducing the nurse’s need to provide a static hold for extended periods.

SPH Medical’s Epidural Positioning Device, or EPD for short, can assist with the patient’s proper positioning, improve comfort, and needle placement without the need to position them manually. The use of the EPD reduces the staff’s risk of musculoskeletal injuries as well as provides patients with the amount of stability needed for receiving an epidural with less risk of complications. Patients feel safer with the EDP.

C-Sections and Lateral Transfers

With c-section procedures come many repeated manual patient handling tasks that put nurses at risk. Patient positioning during the epidural injection is simply one of the many procedures that put our nurses at risk daily. Lateral transfers to and from the OB OR table is high frequency task that puts nurses at risk of injury.

It is very predictable that all c-section patients will need to be transferred off the OB OR table and some may need assistance scooting over to the table especially after an epidural. The patient is unable to help move themselves across to the table when they can not feel the lower half of their body. The nursing and OR team must determine how to safely transfer the patient to and from the OR table. What equipment is available to help with this? AORN recommends an air powered lateral transfer solution for all patients over 157 lbs in perioperative areas.

Lateral Transfer Devices Help with Preventing Nursing Injuries

A variety of lateral transfer equipment is available on the market to help move patients carefully to and from beds, gurneys, or tables. These devices are often referred to as Friction Reducing Devices or FRD’s. The old style “slider board” is not viewed as an effective means of preventing staff injuries. Slider boards don’t reduce friction to safe levels. Slide sheets like SPH Medical’s Easy Slide Disposable, for example, reduce the overall amount of friction during the transfer process. Slide sheets are available in several styles, such as flat with handles and tube style, launderable or disposable. These can be used in conjunction with a slider board for increased friction reduction. A better solution is the Rollerslide. Rollerslide works like a conveyer belt that rolls the patient as the patient is transferred between the surfaces. Finally, the gold standard of lateral transfer equipment is the Air Powered Lateral Transfer system.  An Air Powered Lateral Transfer System virtually eliminates friction by blowing air downward through small holes on the transfer pad’s bottom side, which generates a thin cushion of air to float the patient from one surface to another.  The system makes the transfer process more comfortable for the patient and significantly reduces the risk of injury to the hospital staff moving the patient.

Summary

SPH Medical helps healthcare facilities implement practical safe patient handling solutions to protect frontline caregivers and help with preventing nursing injuries. These solutions are not limited to Labor and Delivery departments. SPH Medical is addressing patient handling and infection prevention throughout the entire continuum of care improving work. It is not about obesity or COVID-19. Patients and healthcare workers are our concern, with the improvement of patient results and in decreasing the chance for infection or injury.

SPH Medical EPD 4
CategoriesInfection Prevention,  Patient Handling

The EPD and Air Transfer System Improve Patient and Staff Safety

by sphmedicaladmin

SPH Medical is Improving Safety for Hospital Staff and Patients

SPH Medical is here to improve patient staff safety in labor and delivery and surgical units with the Epidural Positioning Device and the air transfer system.

COVID-19 is putting our healthcare workers at risk. Manually handling patients under normal conditions is known to put our nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers at risk. Now more than ever hospital staff need to have the right tools to help move, support, lift and transfer patients. The EPD and air powered lateral transfer system improve patient and staff safety especially during this time of heightened concern about infection prevention.

SPH Medical Provides Safe Patient Handling Solutions to Healthcare Facilities

SPH Medical provides Safe Patient Handling solutions to healthcare facilities which means that we protect our frontline caregivers by preventing infection and injuries.

Within Hospitals nurses are being asked to care for patients infected with Cov-Sars2 and other deadly viral and bacterial infections. In order to deal with these deadly infections the Infection Control Nurse within the hospital mandates that single patient use devices are used where possible to lift move and transfer patients. Single patient use items are essentially disposable items that are patient specific, which means that they don’t get used with other patients. The outside laundry system generally isn’t trusted with returning specialized items or hospital owned items back to the hospital so then hospital is forced to use “disposable” items where possible to minimize the risk of infection to other patients. At times this can seem costly, but the risk and cost of hospital acquired infections and and nursing injuries is well with the investment.

How Does this Relate to One of the Most Important Departments in the Hospital?

The Labor and Delivery department is where new mothers give birth to their children in what should be safe and infection free environment.

A large percentage of mothers are continuing to get cesarean section procedures (cite sources and %) even in today’s COVID-19 environment.

With the c-section procedure comes several high-frequency patient handling tasks that Put our nurses and doctors at risk every day, lateral transfers to the OB OR table and patient positioning during the epidural injection procedure.

First the Epidural. Positioning the patient in the proper position for the injection puts our nurses at risk of injury. (See other blog posts we’ve written). We solve this my by making the patient comfortable and eliminating the static holding by the nurse with the Epidural Positioning Device.

Once the patient has received the epidural successfully and the are ready to be moved to the OB OR for the C-section procedure that staff have to plan how to move the patient on and off the table safely. Keep in mind the patient can’t scoot across to the table. They can’t feel their lower half! The staff need to use a assistive tool to transfer the patient safely on and off the OR table. What solutions are available to accomplish this?

Lateral Transfer Devices Available on the Market

There are a variety of lateral transfer devices available on the market to help transfer patients safely to and from beds, gurneys, OR tables, and Imaging Tables.

There are simple Friction Reducing Devices such as slide sheets (“easy slide disposable“ from SPH Medical) Available in many styles: flat sheets with handles, tube style sheets, there are lateral transfer boards made out of plastic also called slider boards – these are not ideal as they don’t significantly reduce friction to safe levels, there are roller boards like the Rollerslide by SPH Medical which act like a conveyer belt moving with the patient. Finally the gold standard of lateral transfer solutions is the air powered lateral transfer system which floats the patient on a comfortable layer of air between the two surfaces. This   makes the transfer process not only more comfortable for the patient but also eliminates risk of injury to the nursing and hospital staff performing the transfer. You can find a well documented clinical evaluation on Friction Reducing Devices here by Andrea Baptiste, MA, CIE, Sruthi V. Boda, MS, Audrey L. Nelson, PhD, RN, FAAN, John D. Lloyd, PhD, MErgS, CPE, and William E. Lee, III, PhD.

All Employees Should be Wearing the Appropriate Fluid Rated N95 Respirators

All employees should be wearing the appropriate fluid rated N95 respirators like the Makrite 9500-N95 which is FDA 510K approved for use as a surgical mask.

Summary

The EPD and air powered transfer system improve patient and staff safety. SPH Medical provides a total solution to reduce risks of infection and injury to our frontline caregivers in Labor and Delivery and throughout the hospital. This is not limited to Labor and Delivery departments. We are addressing similar risks throughout the entire hospital and continuum of care helping to create new standards for safety and protection of our healthcare workers. This is not about obesity and COVID. This is about caring for every patient and every nurse to improve patient outcomes and reduce risks of Infection and injury related to MSD’s and high-risk, high-frequency patient care tasks.

Please contact SPH Medical to learn more about improving safety in Labor and Delivery with air transfer systems and the EPD. To learn more about the Makrite N95 Mask options including the 9500-N95 and the SEKURA-N95.

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